Lately I’ve been having more “cheat” meals that I strictly should given what my goals are. This morning I spent some time asking myself why?

The goals I have physically and aesthetically for 2015 are damn clear in my head. I know what I want to accomplish, and thanks to amazing coaching by Colleen Gallagher I know EXACTLY how to get there. Weight loss and performance is truly a science, and if I just stick with the plan I will see my abs by this summer.

So why am I randomly eating ramen noodles on a Friday night when I have loads of healthy food in the house?

Here’s the thing, as it stands right now I am pretty much the smallest and leanest I’ve ever been. Even if we go as far back as high school, when I was on the dance team and extremely active, I was the size and a similar shape to what I am now. In my glory days of college where I taught group exercise classes and honestly couldn’t afford to stuff my face regularly, I was this size.

I’m more muscular now, but this is about it for me in terms of what I know my body is capable of.

But I want MORE. I’ve never seen my abs before. Ever. And no matter how tiny I was, I never had a perky butt. Those are both on my goal list this year, as part of my mission to continue to cut body fat.

So maybe part of the reason I’m cheating so much lately is because my body is at a place where I’m moderately content? I’ve never known anything “better” than this. I’ve never known anything leaner than this.

Is it possible, absolutely! But it’s a place I haven’t been before. Maybe I’m a little afraid to push myself there. Maybe part of me just wants to rest on what I know I can achieve and comfortably maintain?

I’m not entirely sure what the reason or the answer is here. But taking a minute this morning to just realize and uncover these feelings has me refocused for the day. And really, isn’t that what working towards our goals really is? Taking it one day at a time and finding success in every good choice we make.

I’m embarrassed to admit that for close to two years I was the girl who wanted to lose 20 pounds and then followed an exercise program designed to help me lift more weight.

At first glance, you might not see anything wrong with that. In fact, there is definitely a method to that madness. Lifting weights is an absolutely crucial part of a well rounded fitness program, and is especially important for women. Increasing muscle mass is a good thing, as more muscle equals more calories burned at rest and a faster metabolism.

Here’s the deal. We’re all setting goals for 2015 and since changing my programming just under six months ago, I came to an interesting conclusion. One that is, by the way, backed by all kinds of science. If you want the smart version, feel free to google it, but here’s my dumbed down two cents.

If you have a goal, you kinda need to train for it.

So if you want to be a faster runner, it makes sense to follow a program designed to *gasp* make you run faster.

If you want to lift big weights and be super strong and max your squat this year, again, follow a lifting program.

But if what you actually want, like I did, is to reshape your body, then you’re going to need a plan to do that. At the moment, I don’t do a lot of Olympic movements, and yeah I admit it, I do biceps curls, but it’s because my goal right now is to actually achieve a specific look. Looking a certain way is more important to me than how fast I ride my bike, or how much I can squat.

Sure, those numbers might improve as I cut body fat and train for aesthetics, but they also might not. And as much as I hate to “lose” any of my fitness or strength, I have to be ok with that because my aesthetic goals are more important.

So here’s the moral of the story kittens. Set your goals for 2015, but do yourself a favor and be really honest with yourself. If your goals don’t support each other (i.e., run my fastest 5k and put on 20 lbs of muscle, or lose 20 lbs and increase my back squat), decide which you want more and train for it.

And don’t misunderstand me. Regardless of your goals, there is a place for cardio, strength training, and mobility in your fitness routine. How much and what types of each, however, will vary depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

Trust me, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you haven’t reached any of your goals or like you aren’t making any progress. And it’s really not fun when you realize it’s because you’re doing things that are counterintuitive to what you really want.

We can’t have it all. But if we decide what is really, truly important to us and work daily to achieve it, we can have the things we really want.

Well happy New Year kittens! I hope everyone got through the holidays without needing Xanax or considering stabbing their caroling neighbors with scissors while they were wrapping gifts. Not that I did either of those things. No, not me. Never.

2014 was a great year for this Wonder Woman, and 2015 is going to be even better. I know this, because like every one of you, I’m in charge of my own happiness and success this year. Pretty sweet action.

The gym this week has been crazier than I remember it being. Trying to get a squat rack is like being one of the monkey’s in the zoo going after the lone banana, but I’ve got to say, I’m really proud of all the newbies I don’t recognize getting in there and working towards their goals. Yeah, I realize that not everyone will develop a fitness habit, but if even a few of them stick around, I’ll deal with the crowds without complaint. After all, I was once the fat, out of shape gal who just had a goal of doing something every day. Everyone has a chance at success.

So here’s my first 2015 challenge for you, my readers. Don’t be that person on Facebook or Twitter complaining about all the new people at the gym. Instead, be that person who says “hi” to someone you haven’t seen before, or offers to let them work in a set on a machine you’re using.

Whether you’ve been doing this for 15 years or 5 minutes, we’re all just trying to get stronger, faster, and reach our goals right?

Be the positive person in someone’s day. You never know what kind of impact it might have.